There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house. – MOTHER GOOSE
One of the most iconic images in Amsterdam is not of just one, but many, many crooked houses, like the one above. Here are a few more:
One might assume that since Amsterdam is basically a bog (a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat) that building on such unstable ground might be a problem. The assumption is most correct.
Typically houses were constructed on a foundation of wooden poles/beams that were drilled into the peat and soil deep enough to reach firmer sediment. Over time the wooden poles decayed and the weight of the homes along with gravity pushed unevenly into the ground resulting in leaning homes.
However, this is not the only reason for the lean of the homes:
Unsupportable weight due to height of homes.
You will note that almost all the homes in Amsterdam are narrow. This design was one borne of frugality. At the time these homes were built property taxes were based on the width of the structure – therefore the thinner the building the lower the taxes. The tallness of the homes put a great deal of stress upon a small footprint as the weight was not dispersed, Despite trying to lighten the homes’ weight by including lots of windows, too often the weight on the wooden poles was too much to bear. This problem was aggravated by homeowners often building additional floors – for more living space but more importantly to have a place high enough to escape flooding.
Lack of support from surrounding buildings.
The tight rows of homes built literally one against the other provide a spectacular architectural view:
However, if side by support is removed, say by renovation of one home or the building of a new structure – then the new spacing provides room to lean:
The most fascinating reason? The lean is intentional!!!!!
Since the buildings are very narrow, the steps leading from floor to floor are narrow as well and very steep. Bringing in furniture – beds, tables etc. is near impossible via the stairwells. So the clever Dutch included in the intricately designed facades, hoisting hooks:
There is still a problem – hoisting heavy objects straight up could cause. irreparable damage to the beautiful facades. However, if the building is tilted, the lean prevents the lifted object from hitting the walls or windows of the house.
Ingenious Dutch – and there are more examples of this. – stay tuned!
#